Since 1993, Illinois Public Media and University Laboratory High School have collaborated on oral history projects that do a deep dive into a specific topic. The work begins with the subfreshman class interviewing people in their lives and collecting the oral histories, then the 9th-12th students that have applied to be WILL interns continue shaping the interviews into a documentary. They’ve tackled gun violence, desgregation of Champaign schools, the immigrant experience, and more.
The most recent project is focused on how people Champaign-Urbana experienced 9/11, and rather than an hour long documentary, the students have produced a four-episode podcast series with the help of Illinois Public Media’s Kimberlie Kranich, and Uni social studies teacher and project facilitator Melissa Schoeplein. The first episode of 800 Miles from Ground Zero: 9/11’s Impact on Central Illinois, “7:46 CST,” was released on September 11th, and is available on the Illinois Public Media website. It focuses on the events of the day itself and local reactions. Subsequent episodes will address the wars in the Middle East, post 9/11 domestic policy, and the impact on the Muslim community.